Japan's Aeon to increase self-checkouts to ease labor shortage

Smartphone app intended to cut waiting times and costs at 1,000 supermarkets

Aeon will introduce self-checkout registers that can read the prices of items using customer's smartphones at its 1,000 supermarkets. (Photo by Tokuyuki Matsubuchi)

Nikkei staff writers

January 15, 2021 18:50 JST

TOKYO -- Japanese retail group Aeon will introduce self-checkout registers that can read the prices of items to its 1,000 supermarkets, the latest effort to cope with a severe lack of manpower.

The new system will debut this year at Aeon's supermarket units: United Super Markets Holdings (USMH), which operates about 520 stores in the Kanto area, including Tokyo and its neighboring prefectures; and AEON Retail, which has about 350 general merchandise stores in Japan's main islands of Honshu and Shikoku, excluding the northern Tohoku region. Approximately 190 Daiei stores will also use the system.